PMGSY scheme crumbles in J&K: Harsh

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 26: Member Legislative Assembly (MLA) and Chairman of National Panthers party (NPP) Harshdev Singh has flayed the PWD authorities for the total collapse of PMGSY scheme in J&K and non-completion of even 10 per cent of the road projects sanctioned under the scheme from the date of its conceptualization and inception around 15 years back.
He said that thousands of road projects had been cleared under the scheme for construction and macadamization but the desired objective could not be achieved due to official red tape and culpable negligence displayed at various levels by Government functionaries.
Singh added that though the Government made haughty and supercilious claims of getting huge funds from GoI and indulged in self adulation and obsequious self praise, the physical delivery on the ground remained negligible.
He said that large scale omission and commissions on the part of the Government functionaries deprived the prospective beneficiaries of the benefits of the projects envisaged under the scheme.
Advising the State against extravagant and hypocritical self flattery, Singh called upon the helmsmen to undertake an honest appraisal of the functioning of PMGSY in the State.
Alleging large scale irregularities, malfunctioning, financial lapses, blockage of funds, omissions and commissions, he sought a high level probe into the working of PMGSY in the State.
Harsh Dev Singh further lambasted the State Government for its lapse in revising and finalizing the core-network of PMGSY for which the deadline had been extended by GoI.
He said that the hundreds of habitations which had not been covered under connectivity programme could have been included in the revised core-network but the State Government didn’t frame and submit the requisite projects within the stipulated time frame to the GoI resulting in deprivation of the eligible habitations from being connected.
He called for fixation of responsibility and accountability and appropriate action against the delinquent officers whose lethargy and culpable negligence resulted in deprivation of eligible but uncovered habitations of State.